2023 Diocesan Graduates High School
Alexander Asinovsky, parishioner at SS. Peter and Paul Church in Bayonne, NJ, graduated from Brooklyn Tech High School. He will attend Bergen Community College, majoring in Engineering.
Aidan Brad, parishioner at Church of the Holy Cross in Medford, NJ, graduated from Williamstown High School. He will attend Rowan University, majoring in Biology/Pre-Med. Aidan was a member of the National Honor Society, German National Honor Society, and The Kitty Hawk Air Society (Honor Society-Air Force JROTC). He was also a four-year Varsity starter on the Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track teams, and will continue to run for Rowan University.
Sophia Bakaletz, parishioner at SS. Peter and Paul Church in Manville, NJ, graduated from Hillsborough High School. She will attend Penn State University, majoring in Business Administration. Sophia was a long standing member of Hillsborough High School’s Student Diversity Club.
Julianna Cheplick, parishioner at Holy Trinity Church in Elmira Heights, NY, graduated from Thomas Edison High School. She will attend SUNY Delhi,
majoring in Veterinary Technology. Julianna was inducted into the National Technical Honor Society in 2023 with a 90-percentplus average, and belonged to the Junior Rotarians and Key Club. She studied Animal Sciences in high school and is a Certified Veterinary Assistant.
Nicholas Christos, parishioner at Church of the Annunciation in Brick, NJ, graduated from Toms River High School North. He will attend Lehigh University, majoring in Biomedical Engineering. Nicholas was a member of both the Varsity Chess Team and Varsity Golf, and served as the Golf Team Captain his junior and senior years. He was also a member of the Politics Club, TEAM Club (earning 20+ hours of community service), and coordinated his parish’s Lenten Food Drives.
Anna Davis, parishioner at Holy Trinity Church in Elmira Heights, NY, graduated from Athens Area High School with near perfect attendance and from Northern Tier Technical School’s Culinary Program in Towanda, PA, where she was awarded “Top Senior.” Anna now works as head chef at the Country Club in Towanda, NY.
Mark DaGrosa, parishioner at Church of the Mother of God in Mays Landing, NJ, graduated from Atlantic County Institute of Technology. He will attend Atlantic Cape Community College, majoring in Game Design and Development, having received two scholarships. In addition to being a student speaker at the Thought Leader Forum and playing four years of Varsity Bowling, Mark was a member of the National Honor Society, worked as a lifeguard, published a poem and wrote a song.
Karolina Ellis, parishioner at Cathedral of the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord in Brooklyn, NY, graduated from Curtis High School in Staten Island, NY. She will attend Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Joseph Ghviniashvili, parishioner at SS. Peter and Paul Church in Manville, NJ, graduated from Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School. He will attend Raritan Valley Community College, majoring in Software Engineering.
Kathryn Illenye, parishioner at SS. Peter and Paul Church in South River, NJ, graduated from East Brunswick High School. She will attend Rutgers University (New Brunswick), majoring in Biology. Kathryn was one of six students in her graduating class to earn an Associate Degree before finishing high school, which she obtained from Middlesex County College in Edison, NJ.
Alexa Ostrowski, parishioner at Holy Resurrection Church in Wayne, NJ, graduated from Hendrick Hudson High School. She will attend the University of Rhode Island and plans to pursue a career in the sciences. Alexa was a member of the Track and Field Team, where she excelled as a shot putter, and the Field Hockey Team, and sang in the chorus.
Saba Kaliashvili, parishioner at SS. Peter and Paul Church in Manville, NJ, graduated from Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School with a 3.89 GPA. He will attend Rutgers University, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Saba was a member of the Soccer Team and earned the Somerset County Champion's Title.
Anna Claire Macko, parishioner at Christ the Savior Church in Ballston Lake, NY, graduated from Niskayuna High School. She will attend SUNY New Paltz, majoring in English and Psychology.
Luke Pylypciw, parishioner at SS. Peter and Paul Church in Endicott, NY, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Union-Endicott High School. He will attend Florida Institute of Technology, majoring in Aviation Management with a concentration in Professional Flight. Luke was an active member in the National Honor Society, NYS Business and Marketing Honor Society, Veterans Club, Key Club, and Technology Club. He was also a four year Scholar Athlete on both the Golf and Basketball Teams.
Michael Sadej, parishioner at Cathedral of the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord in Brooklyn, NY, graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School. He will attend Binghamton University, majoring in Biochemistry.
time. Outside of school, Anna balanced her academic course load while working both at a bakery and chiropractic office.
Alexander Siecienski, parishioner at Church of the Holy Cross in Medford, NJ, graduated from Haddonfield Memorial High School. He will attend Stockton University, majoring in Computer Science. Alex recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest award in Scouts BSA.
Andrew Steffaro, parishioner at SS. Peter and Paul Church in South River, NJ, graduated from South River High School. He will attend Moravian University, majoring in Business Management. Andrew was a member of the National Honor Society and Captain of the Varsity Football and Baseball teams, and will continue to play baseball at Moravian.
Anna Siragusa, parishioner at Church of the Holy Cross in Medford, NJ, graduated from Shawnee High School having received awards for academic excellence. She will attend George Washington University, majoring in Forensic Psychology and Criminology. Anna was a member of the Varsity Soccer Team and carried her team to victory during their championship game scoring the final goal from 60 yards out! She continues to play soccer and coach in her free
Robyn Ulrich, parishioner at Holy Resurrection Church in Wayne, NJ, graduated from Cedar Grove High School. She will attend New Jersey Institute of Technology, majoring in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering. Robyn was a member of the Spanish and Math Honor Societies, along with the Robotics and Peers Clubs. She also achieved the rank of Eagle Scout as part of Scouts BSA Troop 19 in Short Hills, NJ. Robyn hopes to pursue a career in prosthetics.
Tatiana Balasenowich, parishioner at Holy Trinity Church in Yonkers, NY, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with concentrations in Marketing & Management Information Systems. Since graduating, Tatiana has traveled to Europe and is currently looking for full time employment within the Entertainment Industry.
John Burk, parishioner at Holy Resurrection Church in Wayne, NJ, graduated from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He has accepted a full-time position at Northrop-Grumman in the greater Los Angeles area.
Lauren Berck, parishioner at St. Vladimir Church in Trenton, NJ, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology and minor in Communication. She is currently working with an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) clinic in Brick, NJ.
Octavia Feliciano, parishioner at Christ the Saviour Church in Paramus, NJ, graduated from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Professional Writing and minor in Biology. Because she was part of TCNJ’s Honors & Scholars Program, Octavia received a second diploma for this distinction. She also served as the Director of Operations for The Signal, TCNJ's school paper, and was awarded the Robert Cole Scholarship in her senior year.
John Berezniak, parishioner at SS. Peter and Paul Church in South River, NJ, graduated Rutgers University’s School of Public Health with a Master of Science in Epidemiology.
Michael Gedevani, parishioner at SS. Peter and Paul Church in Manville, NJ, graduated with High Honors from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Science in Business
Analytics and Information Technology and minor in Supply Chain Management. He is already working in his profession.
Anna Kaliashvili, parishioner at SS. Peter and Paul Church in Manville, NJ, graduated with High Honors from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. She is working in her profession at a construction company.
Andrew Popadics, parishioner at Holy Resurrection Church in Wayne, NJ, graduated from NYU Silver School of Social Work with a Master of Social Work and Counseling. In addition to his academic courses, Andrew completed internships at The Institute of Community Living and MTZ Counseling, where he will begin his career as a psychotherapist.
Sarah Levitsky, parishioner at Holy Resurrection Church in Wayne, NJ, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and minor in Entrepreneurship. She plans to reside in New York City where she will begin her professional career with Mastercard.
Jeremy Posluszny, parishioner at SS. Peter and Paul Church in South River, NJ, graduated Cum Laude from Rutgers University Law School with a Juris Doctor. He was honored for his service on the Rutgers University Law Review and awarded the Rutgers Law School Award for Excellence in Labor & Employment Law. Jeremy will clerk for Judge Greta Goodwin Brown of the NJ Superior Court.
G. Daniel Macko, parishioner at Christ the Savior Church in Ballston Lake, NY, graduated Magna Cum Laude from SUNY Geneseo with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Anthropology. He was awarded a fellowship to attend SUNY Oneonta's Cooperstown Graduate Program (CGP) to pursue a Master’s in Museum Studies.
Alexis Steffaro, parishioner at SS. Peter and Paul Church in South River, NJ, graduated with honors from The University of Nottingham UK with a Master of Arts in International Security and Terrorism. She joined the University’s A Cappella group, RadioOctave, and won many international competitions. She now works in Washington DC.
